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Teacher suspended for alleged comment

Several students report racial remark to an African-American

FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield Freshman School teacher has
been suspended without pay and faces the prospect of dismissal after
allegedly making racially insensitive statements to a student earlier
this month.

Monday, the Fairfield Board of
Education suspended science teacher Gil Voigt. He has 10 days to
request a hearing before the school board or a referee.

Voigt,
who is white, is accused of telling an African-American male student,
“We do not need another black president” after the student said he would
like to become president.

The
incident occurred on Dec. 3, with several other students present,
according to a report from Assistant Superintendent Roger Martin, who
conducted a disciplinary hearing on the matter.

It
isn’t the first time the 14-year Fairfield teacher has been
disciplined. He received a verbal warning for making an inappropriate
racial comment in 2008. That year he also received a verbal warning for
improper use of school technology.

Last
year he received a verbal warning after allegedly calling a student
“stupid” and belittling him. He received a written warning last month
for failure to use the adopted curriculum.

“This
is a rare occurrence. This is the first time I’ve faced it since being
named assistant superintendent (in 2011),” Martin said.

In his report, Martin said he believed four students were interviewed who corroborated the student Voigt was speaking to.

Following a complaint by the student’s parents, the teen was removed from Voigt’s class, Martin said.

“We
intend to uphold board policies and to hold teachers accountable for
the essential functions of the teacher job description,” Martin said.

Voigt
has been a Fairfield teacher since 2000. Before that he taught seven
years in North Carolina, two years in Florida and six years in the
Cincinnati Public Schools.

Lol, if he hasn't been a very good student, then you haven't been a very good teacher. Racist jerk.

Posted By: GG
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 8:40am

I don't understand racist teachers. Like don't you know you're gonna be exposed to diverse students? Why bother aggravate yourself being around people you don't like?

Posted By: yaya24
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 9:25am

He tried it.

Good riddance.

Posted By: EasterBell
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 9:27am

See ya later

Posted By: sugabanana
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 9:31am

he needs to be fired.

Posted By: IslandSuga
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 10:04am

fck him

Posted By: trudawg
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 10:21am

CherryBlossom wrote:

...lol dumbarse, some things should really be kept to yourself

exactly

Posted By: DiorShowGirl
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 10:25am

oh well he and that white woman who made that racist aids remark should hook up and do this

Posted By: melikey
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 11:53am

He'll just move to another school and continue his racist ways

Posted By: yaya24
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 12:24pm

the crakkka teacher

Posted By: afrokock
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 1:00pm

trudawg wrote:

CherryBlossom wrote:

...lol dumbarse, some things should really be kept to yourself

exactly

I'd rather they out themselves

Posted By: eanaj5
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 1:43pm

DiorShowGirl wrote:

oh well he and that white woman who made that racist aids remark should hook up and do this

this...except the cliff should be higher and there shouldnt be water at the bottom

Posted By: Az~Maverick
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 2:11pm

eanaj5 wrote:

DiorShowGirl wrote:

oh well he and that white woman who made that racist aids remark should hook up and do this

this...except the cliff should be higher and there shouldnt be water at the bottom

...and he can take the others with him. Racist fuccer.

Posted By: coconess
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 2:17pm

i hope he really gets fired..

i dont understand why these ppl don't learn… most times you say something bad about a black person.. there are repercussions

(not ppl just out on the street but ppl in important positions)

Posted By: Miss SDY
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 7:44pm

eanaj5 wrote:

DiorShowGirl wrote:

oh well he and that white woman who made that racist aids remark should hook up and do this

this...except the cliff should be higher and there shouldnt be water at the bottom

Add jagged rocks to this equation and this would be perfect!!!

Posted By: jonesable
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 7:47pm

Damn these white ppl be trying it

Posted By: DiorShowGirl
Date Posted: Dec 27 2013 at 9:42pm

yeah...that;s better...jagged rocks at the bottom or a pit with some hungry ass meat eatin beasts

that water could have piranahs in it......i want them to feel pain and seriously suffer..

Posted By: tatee
Date Posted: Apr 18 2014 at 3:00pm

Fairfield teacher accused of racial slur loses job

Michael D. Clark, mclark@enquirer.com
3:56 p.m. EDT April 18, 2014

FAIRFIELD
The Fairfield teacher accused of slurring an African -American student
lost his job Thursday in the wake of a labor hearing that concluded
with that recommendation.

Freshman science teacher Gil Voigt has been on unpaid leave since December.

After
the Fairfield Board of Education received a state referee's decision
that "there is good and just cause to terminate the teaching contract,"
the board voted 4-0 Thursday evening, with one board member absent,
to end his employment with the Butler County school system.

Voigt
has declined to comment but told The Enquirer on Friday he plans to
appeal the referee's ruling with the Butler County Court of Appeals.

"The
district felt that the evidence was sufficient to support the
termination of Mr. Voigt's employment. The referee recommended such
termination, and the board has concurred," said Otten in a statement
released Thursday evening.

Voigt is alleged to have told an
African-American student at Fairfield Freshman School, who had professed
his desire to follow Barack Obama as president, that "we do not need
another black president."

Voigt has previously said he was misquoted by the student, whom he described as troublesome.

His
suspension has drawn national attention and the condemnation of
officials in the Butler County school system as well as area NAACP
officials.

He later told Fairfield officials that what he said to
the teen was, "I think we can't afford another president like Obama,
whether he's black or white."

The Ohio Department of Education will conduct its own investigation after being notified of Voigt's employment status.

The
department's investigation will determine whether Voigt should have his
teaching license limited, suspended – from one day to up to five years –
or revoked entirely, prohibiting him from teaching in Ohio.

Voigt now has the option of appealing the referee's decision to Butler County Common Pleas Court within 30 days.